How To Train Around A Back Injury

So if you have been following this blog for a while now you obviously know that i injured my back a few months back (pun intended) and ever since the injury i have learned what i can and can't do till full recovery has taken place. I’m not going to discuss the type of injury i had but it was a significant one that has me not being able to back squat or deadlift or any movement that causes a loaded spine in a flexed position. After having this injury for a while now i really have had to redesign the way i train and the way i program my workout splits now and i also learned a lot of other people are dealing with a very similar injury and i thought why not share what i have learned this past few months and hopefully benefit some others going through very similar to what i have gone through. If you get something out of todays blog please feel free to share it as it will help this blog community grow and also hopefully get out to more people with back injuries limiting them in their fitness goals. Also i'm not a doctor so please if you need to, see a doctor.

Don’t Even Think About What You Can’t Do, Only Focus On What You Can Do

This is a rule that i learned from Mark Bell off his youtube and that is never worry about what you can’t do only worry and focus on what you can do. Thats a great life quote to live by as well. For me in the early on stages of this injury i was constantly trying to always get back to squatting and deadlifting but then when shit went wrong and i was caused more pain i just got more and more irritated over time and it was really a depressing time for me. Before the injury squats and deadlifts consisted of over 50% of my training and now i can’t do them at all. You can only imagine the frustration i went through in the beginning stages of this. It was not until i stopped worrying about what i couldn't do and only started to focus on what i could do till i finally started to make progress again. For me this is what i had to learn;

 

- Back squats were not going to happen (at least for now)..... ok so that leaves me with front squats. Ok so front squats are good now how heavy can i train with them..... Ok so i found out that anything more than 5 reps will cause sciatica pain so i decided to keep reps at 3-5. Ok now for how heavy.... I found out anything more than 95lbs caused to much disconfront so i decided ok so that leaves me able to do 95lb front squats for 3-5 reps for sets. I decided i would program that and when i could then do a 5x5 with 95lbs and no pain then i knew i could go to 100lbs and so on. By process of elimination that is how i diagnosed what i can do and what  i can focus on at the current moment. By the way I'm currently up to 105lbs on front squats for a 5x5. #ImComingBack #SlowlyButSurley

 

- Deadlifts were different. Since my injury does not allow me to go in a loaded flex spinal position this does not leave any options for any type of deadlift or rack pull. Ok so deadlifts and rack pulls are out no questions ask now what....... Well the deadlift was a major contributor to my back and core so since i can’t deadlift anymore i will up my back training frequency to 4 times a week to hopefully still be able to make hypertrophy gains.

 

For back training before i was injured it was a lot of barbell rows and other compound movements that are an absolute no no to me now so then thats when i decided to join a gym to have access to a lot of different back supported movements and machines. I now have access to all kinds of angels for back supported movements so i can still go as heavy as i want with no spinal flexion being loaded! Keeping my back frequency to almost every training day has actually made my back grow even more since my injury! So I finally learned what i can and cannot do and then things started to fall back in place.

Get Off Any Program Your Currently On And Just Train The Way You Feel

So those of you that have followed me for some time know that i am a huge believer in programming and staying on a program to keep your training in tune and organized.... Well when your injured i recommend coming off any program you are on and just switching to one of the following options;

- Basic PHAT Layout (Power Hypertrophy Adaptation Training By Layne Norton)

- Basic Push, Legs, Pull

- Basic Push/Pull, Legs, Shoulders & Arms

These 3 splits are perfect for following when your injured or just in maintenance mode. For me I'm just following a basic PHAT layout as i always have gone back to PHAT when I'm not doing any other program at the moment.

 

So for those wondering my split right now consists of

- Monday - Upper

- Tuesday - Lower and Optional Swim

- Wednesday - Upper (Chest/Back/Arms)

- Thursday - HIIT Swimming or Pokemon Go

- Friday - Lower

- Saturday - Upper (Shoulders/Back/Arms)

- Sunday - Rest

 

What Movements Can You Do?

So before you can make a program you have to figure out what you can and can no longer do. For this i recommend one week just go into the gym and use that week as an experiment week. This is a week that you will just go in the gym and experiment what you can do that causes really no pain. Take your time trying out everything you have access to and make note of what you can and cannot do. So for those of you that came from doing the big lifts you might experiment by using this list of process of elimination

 

Normal Movement - Low Bar Back Squat (causes to much pain)

Optional Movements To Try;

- High Bar Back Squat

- Try a narrower or wider stance

- Front Squat

- Box squat

- Smith Machine Squat

- Goblet Squat

- Leg Press

If you make it through the list and something still is causing you pain then you might need to just drop squats all together and focus on a different leg exercise all together.

 

Normal Movement - Barbell Bench Press

- Try a different grip width

- Try having less or more of an arch

- Using the Slingshot™ Bench Press

- Try Dumbbell Bench Press

- Pin Presses

- Machine Press

and if that causes pain maybe its time to lay off pressing movements for now

 

Normal Movement - Sumo Deadlift

So the problem with this movement is that its very difficult to supplement a deadlift depending on your injury. If you have a messed up back like me that wont allow loaded flex position then anything similar to a deadlift is off the table. The best advice i can offer is just start doing a ton of back supported exercises lots of;

- Rows

- pull downs

- pull overs

- pull ups

- Take advantage of all those back machines in your gym and just jam out on them with lots of volume

When All Else Fails The Machines Are Your Best Friends

I have never been a fan of machines and have always preferred free weights and barbells over machines as too many people abuse machines and that will cause a lot of weakness in core and stabilizers but the exception to this is when your injured or recovering from an injury. When your coming back from an injury this is the time to abuse those machines. Machines allow you to stay in a safe position and get lots of volume and work in. Machines can be very motivational when your injured because sometimes thats all you can do and in the end using machines are better than not being able to do anything.

What Rep and Set Scheme?

So for reps and sets it determines the type of movement. For example for me squats are the thing i am struggling with getting back right now so for me i am doing a 5x5 on front squats on every lower day i have. I recommend starting with 3x5 and when you can get through that with no pain, up it to a 5x5 for your recovery movement and only add weight when you can do all 5 sets with 0 pain. For example for me i had been on 95lb front squats for 3 weeks now. my first set was pain free and my second set was as well. but my 3rd, 4th and 5th had caused about a 5 on the pain scale (1-10 (10 being worst) so until i could get all 5 sets of 5 with 0-3 pain i  just stuck with 95lbs. Remember slow and steady wins the race and its so important when coming back from an injury. Simple rule is if something is causing pain when it shouldn't then stop or lower the weight or lower the reps. For all your other movements i would recommend just undulating the repetitions through the week as in a basic Daily Undulating Periodization model. For example your accessory movements may be heavier at the beginning of the week and lighter and more reps at the end of the week. Just keep your training simple, the less stress the better.

Warming Up Needs A Little Extra Focus More So Than Usual

When i am not injured i am pretty much warm and ready to lift within 5-8 minutes but when your coming back from an injury you need to make sure you are warm around where you injury is. For example mine is my sciatic nerve so for me i need to decompress my spine (hanging on a pull up bar and do a lot of Piriformis and hip stretches and some upward and downward dog to really get my lower back warm and ready for the lift, its a lot of what i talked about in my blog - 8 ways to improve recovery

. If you have pain before you start training (as with sciatica flare ups its very common) then this is what i recommend;

- Keep warming up till pain goes away or at least subsides to a 2-3 out of 10

- try some warm up sets with ultra light weight to test if that still causes pain

- Try Foam Rolling the area or other form of myofascial release

- If you still have pain then train something else for the day or just take the day off

- NEVER PUSH THROUGH PAIN, NEVER NEVER NEVER. I learned that the hard way.

- Also if you get half way through your sets and the pain starts getting worse, just STOP and save it for another day, i also learned this the hard way.

This is really A Time To Utiliize Blood Flow Restriction Training

So if you remember from my 8 Ways To Improve Recovery blog. You can recall how i use BFR in recovery stages to really maximize on maintaining as much hypertrophy as possible. Right now i am using BFR in my training at least 2-3 times a week. If your just new to BFR maybe just do one day of upper BFR (arms) and one day of Lower BFR (quads and hams) to start, you can always up that frequency later on.

Cardio Sucks But This Might Be A Time You Need To Include Some....

If you remember from my blog 2 weeks ago (you can view it here) we discussed the differences between HIIT and LISS and when one may be more beneficial over the other. Well when your injured i sort of recommend you utilize both in just different ways to stay active and for general health reasons. Also another Pro? you can still eat as much as you were when you used to be training heavy. Ever since my injury i have not adjusted my food at all. I may not be squatting or deadlifting at all right now but I'm still training 5-6 days a week and I'm also taking a 20 min walk everyday at lunch and throwing in at least one day of Swimming HIIT or an extra long walk with Pokemon Go once a week. This has allowed me to still crush some major food :D

Your Nutrition, Only Change It If You Need To

Like i just said i have not lowered my calories at all really and I'm still maintaining easily and even making some gains on the same food as before the injury but i have also added some mid day walks in and also a swim HIIT session every week so my cardio has also gone up. If you are not going to do any extra cardio (even tho i would highly recommend walking as it truly is one of the best forms of exercise one can do and you can even play Pokemon Go and Walk! But If your not going to do anything extra then i do recommend dropping your calories by 200-300 and just drop that amount from a combination of your carbs and fats. For Example if you need to drop 200 calories that translates to 24 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fat. (Easy way to remember this? 24 grams of carbs is equal to around 100 calories and 10 grams of fat is almost equal to 100 calories.

 

Just Worry About Getting Back To Being At Optimal Health, The Big Weights Will Always Be There When Your Back

Don’t rush your recovery depending on the severity of your injury you could be out a couple months to a year even. Just stay patient and do what you can and also make sure and have fun! When you stop having fun training thats when you can really become unmotivated to train so make having fun and being happy as the highest of your priorities. If you can’t do any big lifts at all right now then just do what you enjoy. If that means training arms 5 days a week then so be it. Remember this- Any type of exercise you can do is better than just being on the couch.

 

For me it may be a year till i back squat or deadlift again and i miss those lifts like crazy and I'm doing tons of rehab to try and get them back sooner but I'm not letting that bring me down. What i can still do in the gym i am still doing to the best to the best of my ability and still maintaining intensity on what i can. Patience is the key to making a come back.

 

Remember This...

I was listening to a Podcast that Layne Norton was on the other day and he said something that is so true but i don't think a lot of people realize it yet...

"It's not a matter of if your going to get injured but a matter of when your going to get injured."

Anyone in this game will eventually get injured there is no way around it. Every elite lifter or even professional athlete has had some type of injury or situation they have had to come back from. When you get injured remember that and it will help a lot on the mental side of things in your recovery.

To Sum up todays post

- Just worry about what you can do and don’t even think about what you can’t do

- Find What you can do and try and progress in that - MAKE NEW GOALS

- Use a basic 3x5 or a 5x5 for your recovery movement if you can

- Take Advantage of Machines

- Do Plenty of accessory movements to keep up work load and overall volume

- Make sure and have a very solid warm up and analyze how you feel for the day and make adjustments to your training day based on how your feeling not on what you have wrote down to do

- Utilize BFR to help maintain hypertrophy

- Try throwing in some cardio to still allow you to eat a lot of food and also just for general health

- Adjust your nutrition only if you need too.

- Just have fun and do what you can

Thats going to wrap this one up guys. In the comments below let me know if you have an injury and what your doing to come back from your injury. Thanks for reading guys, till next week...

 

Get Recovered, and Stay Positive on Your Comeback #BrickByBrick

Shawn Fausey

 

• Shawn Fausey is the Founder and CEO of Fausey's Fitness. With Over 6 years experience in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Nutrition. Shawn offers services of online fitness coaching, programing and consulting. Shawn is also a Graphic Designer and can be reached for graphic services on www.rev-graphics.com
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